The invention relates to a container used in the health care filed for receiving and holding human body fluids. The container is a portable one-piece receptacle specifically useable to receive and accommodate involuntary emesis and emesis induced with an emetic medicine or agent. The container is in compliance with body fluid containment standards including the safe and efficient collecting and containment of emesis.
Disease control standards require that emesis be contained to prevent risk of external contamination of caregivers, person and objects. Emesis at times contain blood, lung fluids, and stomach contents and present a risk of contamination by HIV, Hepatitis B, and non-blood borne pathogens. Numerous devices have been disclosed for handling body fluids, including urine and emesis. An example of a portable receptacle for receiving and containing emesis is disclosed by K. A. Cashel in U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,332. This receptacle has a main body having an emesis containment chamber and a neck joined to the body. A mouthpiece having an open end shaped to abut a person""s face around the mouth fits into the neck to direct emesis into the neck and chamber of the body. The neck includes a baffling device to minimize back flow or splashing or spillage of emesis. Handles on opposite sides of the body are used by the person emitting emesis to facilitate positioning of the mouthpiece adjacent the person""s mouth. The present invention is an improvement in emesis containers that is splash and spill effective without baffling devices, convenient, cost efficient and disposable.
The invention is a portable container or receptacle for use in accepting and containing emesis and sputum. The container has a tubular body joined to a funnel with a handle secured to the funnel. The body has an upward inclined side wall and bottom wall providing a chamber for accommodating emesis. The bottom wall is flat to permit the container to stand upright at an incline on a flat surface. The funnel has a mouth open at an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the vertical axis of the body. The mouth has an area larger than the cross-sectional area of the chamber of the body. The funnel has a truncated cone shape that extends at an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the body to locate the mouth toward the person using the container. The curvature of the cone-shaped funnel and angle of the funnel combined with the inclined body minimizes back flow, spilling and splashing of emesis out of the containment chamber of the body. The handle is an elongated generally cylindrical member extended downwardly from the lower portion of the funnel which is used to stabilize and assist holding of the container by a person or caregiver. A flexible neck joins the upper end of the handle to a semi-hemispherical section of the funnel. The neck allows the handle to be laterally moved relative to the body. The container is a one-piece plastic structure. The open peripheral end of the funnel has an outwardly directed annular rib. A cover having an annular lip with an internal circular groove snaps on the rib to close the opening of the mouth of the funnel. The handle is spaced from the body to allow a person""s hand to firmly grip the handle and retain the container in a desired position. The container accommodates a volume greater than 1000 milliliters and is large enough to handle the contents of a person""s full stomach.